Financial Analysis

Rio Tinto is a major mining company in the FTSE 100, specializing in iron ore. The company is geographically diversified. A close competitor is BHP Billiton, and these two firms are compared on the basis of their operations and financial statements. From a financial perspective, both firms are relatively equal. Both firms had strong years in 2008 and 2010, with a weak year in 2009 in between. Rio Tinto's results are better, largely because it benefited from a run-up in commodity prices in late 2010, after BHP's fiscal year had ended.

Rio has demonstrated a commitment to managing its capital structure effectively. The company went deeply into debt in 2007 in order to purchase Alcan, the Canadian aluminium giant. As a result, Rio has spent the past few years trying to pay down debt. Even during the down year in 2009, it was able to do so and...
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